Siege of Henei

The Siege of Henei occurred in 192 AD when Liu Bei and his army laid siege to the Yellow Turban stronghold of Henei, the last territory owned by Huang Shao's faction. The ensuing battle saw all of the Yellow Turban commanders meet their deaths, and the town fell to Liu Bei after a bloody pitched battle.

Background
Liu Bei and his sworn brothers Guan Yu and Zhang Fei had made names for themselves during the suppression of the Yellow Turban Rebellion of 184 AD and then again for their campaigns against the Yellow Turbans of Dong, Taishan, and Henei Commanderies in northeastern China from 190 to 192 AD. They succeeded in capturing Yellow Turban leader Huang Shao's main stronghold of Dong before crossing the Yellow River to attack Huang Shao's final stronghold of Henei to the north. The city was held by the depleted remnants of his army, commanded by Zhou Cao, Xin Baorui, and Bo Zhen, with Ru Zuo commanding the town garrison. Liu Bei and his army of 1,437 troops assaulted the small town, which lacked fortified defenses; this led to the battle being fought on a field in the outskirts of town.

Battle
Liu Bei broke his army up into several parts and had them attack separate portions of the Yellow Turban army, which took up defensive positions along a hilly treeline. The Yellow Turban general Bo Zhen rode out to challenge Guan Yu to a duel, and Guan Yu nearly bisected him with his Green Dragon blade. Meanwhile, the female bandit leader Xin Baorui rode out to challenge Zhang Fei, but he slashed her across the throat with a giant swipe of his spear. Zhou Cao, demoralized by the loss of his generals, attempted to flee the battle, only for Guan Yu to give chase and knock him from his horse with a blow from his blade. Liu Bei and his army then spent a considerable amount of time defeating the Yellow Turban remnants, many of whom attempted hit-and-run tactics. Eventually, all of the Yellow Turban units were routed, and Liu Bei claimed a close victory over the bandits. Bo Zhen was captured alive but wounded, and, after he shouted, "I would rather die than betray my cause!", Liu Bei was reluctantly forced to put him to death for banditry.

Aftermath
In the aftermath of the battle, a lone horseman rode out and blocked Liu Bei's path. He introduced himself as Zhao Yun and offered his services, and Liu Bei made him a general. In the spring of 193 AD, Liu Bei and his army marched to the city of Henei, which was loyal to the Dong Zhuo-controlled Han court, and he persuaded the administrators to integrate the city into his realm, peacefully completing his control of Henei Commandery, his second commandery. He also made peace with Cao Cao, with whom he had gone to war as an ally of Tao Qian, hoping to secure his southern flank as he continued his quest to secure his lands and his future in northeastern China.